Turner Sports getting more of NCAA tournament

TBS is getting more of the NCAA college basketball tournament. (Associated Press)

Joe Flint

The migration of big sports events to cable TV continues.

In 2016, TBS, the cable channel owned by Time Warner, will carry the NCAA college basketball championship game as part of its deal to share rights to the sports property with CBS.

TBS will also televise for the first time the Final Four semifinal games that lead to the championship in 2014 and 2015. CBS will broadcast the championship game for both of those tournaments.

Starting in 2017, TBS and CBS will alternate coverage of the Final Four and the championship game. CBS will have both in 2017.

Early round games will continue to be shared by CBS and Turner networks TNT, TBS and TruTV.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to televise the Final Four national semifinal games and two of the Elite Eight games on TBS beginning next year, and for the network to televise its first national championship game in 2016," said Turner Sports President David Levy.

The 2013 tournament across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV averaged 10.7 million viewers, a gain of 11% from 2012, according to Nielsen.